


The Crusade

by Razial



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25616368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razial/pseuds/Razial
Summary: Clark returns from the Phantom Zone with a new understanding of his future as well as a realisation that he has fallen in love with his best friend Chloe without realising it, now he intends to make up for all the hurt he had caused her over the years.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang/Lex Luthor
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	The Crusade

**Author's Note:**

> AU of season 6 from the beginning and branching out as it goes, I have no real plans with this story but to play it by ear and see where it goes as well as finally writing a Clark/Chloe pairing story.

By Razial The Crusade

Disclaimer: I do not own Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan or any of the other characters from Smallville or the wider DC Justice League world, they belong to DC comics and whoever else owns the rights. 

Pairing: Clark/Chloe

Notes: AU of season 6 from the beginning and branching out as it goes, I have no real plans with this story but to play it by ear and see where it goes as well as finally writing a Clark/Chloe pairing story.  
Summary: Clark returns from the Phantom Zone with a new understanding of his future as well as a realisation that he has fallen in love with his best friend Chloe without realising it, now he intends to make up for all the hurt he had caused her over the years. 

+C+

(Smallville) 

Clark Kent slowly pulled himself out of the crater his fall had caused as he exited the phantom zone, he felt so relieved to once more feel the sun on his skin and immediately began to feel stronger. The zone had been a nightmare which is what he suspected it was designed to be so as to punish the prisoners within, luckily for him there had been a secret exit installed by his father and Raya his father’s assistant had been in the zone to help him find and activate it. She had told him she was not a prisoner but had been sent there by Jor-El so as to survive the destruction of their world, but he wondered considering his interactions with his father if she had not been sent there as insurance just in case he ever ended up trapped there. He had learnt over the years since Jor-El’s avatar had become active that he was capable of anything, especially if it was in line with ensuring he followed his destiny. 

Jor-El had known about the blackship and the criminals it held as well as Brainiac, he probably had a clue that they may one day escape their punishment and turn up on earth thus posing a threat to his son. So why wouldn’t he put a plan in place to ensure his son’s survival should the worse happen and he end up trapped in the zone, it made perfect sense to him. Sadly helping him had cost Raya her life as far as he could tell, just as the portal activated she had been stabbed by Nam-Ek and he had been powerless to stop him. Pushing that memory aside he Looked around he noted he had thankfully landed close to home, he was on the very outskirts of home. Opening his fist he looked down to thankfully find the crystal of El still there, the crystal was Raya’s final gift to him and may be his only way of stopping Zod besides killing his host. 

Strangely enough the idea of killing his former friend Lex Luthor no longer bothered him as much as it had before he had been sent to the zone, part of it was the things Lex had done before it had all come to a head. The man truly had become far more twisted and evil than even Lionel had been back in the day, he was capable of using anybody to get his way and was willing to kill anyone to achieve his goals. He hadn’t forgotten nor forgiven how Lex had secretly investigated him and his family behind his back even as he claimed to be his friend, he had been slow to learn that you could not trust the man no matter what. It had been Lex who had sent various meteor freaks to test him all year, including the one that had in the end helped end his relationship with Lana Lang. 

Granted he had allowed things to come to that point with his fears and having his powers back, not to mention the guilt of losing his father due to altering time to save Lana’s life without really comprehending he was risking losing someone else close to him. It could have been anyone from Chloe to his mom but in the end it had turned out to be his father, had he not be so caught up in his grief and rage at losing Lana so soon after telling her the truth and proposing to her then perhaps he might have considered the consequences of his choice when Jor-El had presented it to him. Worse than that his feelings for Lana had already begun to change before he even reached that point and he had just been too blind, and too stuck in a cycle to notice. His on-off romance with Lana had all but consumed him and made him blind to what else he was beginning to feel as time passed, ignore feelings he had begun to develop for his best friend in the world Chloe Sullivan. The kiss they had shared just before he had gone to confront Lex and Fine had shown that, she had kissed her so passionately and he had been unable to stop himself from returning it and trying to show his changing feelings with how he kissed her back. 

Shaking his head he realised he did not have time to fully think over the changes he had been though, he had to stop Zod and quickly before he finished whatever plan he had to subjugate the world. Turning to face the direction where the Luthor mansion was he superspeed all the way there, wondering just what he would find when he arrived. He entered the mansion to find Zod with his back to him looking for all the world as if he really was Lex just thinking over something, he gave off an air of utter calm. He noted slumped unconscious to the side of the room was Lana with a bloody hand, next to her was the broken pieces of the Kryptonian dagger. Clearly Lana had tried to end Zod when she finally realised he wasn’t Lex, how she had come to process the dagger was a mystery or knew it would actually do the job but he had an idea.

Unlike what happened when he found Lana in such a position during his fight with Nam-Ek and Aethyr last year, he did not feel a sense of panic or anger or lose sight of why he was here. Lana had chosen her side when she had failed to heed his warnings and had willingly run to Zod refusing to see he was no longer Lex Luthor even as he began to cause Metropolis to fall into chaos, she now had to face the consequences of her choices. He refocused on Zod as he noted the man suddenly straighten up and begin to turn, clearly he had sensed his presence and noted a look a surprise pass over his features before settling back into a calm relaxed pose. 

“Kal-El” Zod said hiding his surprise at seeing the son of his enemy back from the zone. “You escaped the zone” he stated stepping one step closer and closing his hands behind his back. “Quite a feat as it took me what felt like centuries and only with the help of Brainiac from the outside, how?” he questioned unable to help his asking as his curiosity got the better of him. 

“My father planned ahead or at least I think he did” Clark responded using the time to covertly look around until he spotted the briefcase with somewhat spinning on top of it, something with Kryptonian symbols on it. “But it would have done you no good even if you had known about it as it requires the bloodline of El to activate” he explained knowing Zod would grow somewhat annoyed to know Jor-El was behind his sudden return from a place no one else had escaped before. “Granted without Raya’s help I wouldn’t have known about it either, so had you ever managed to kill her during your time there she would not have been alive to tell me about the way out or how to use it” he added hoping to anger Zod and make his attack when it came less calculated. 

Zod glared at the son of El as he listened to his answer and noted how he did not mention exactly what the way out was just that it required the blood of an El to activate, he guessed Jor-El had placed a portal out of the zone on the off chance he or one of his heirs ever ended up trapped in the zone. He had to give credit to his former friend, the man knew how to plan for as many eventualities as possible. And one did not become head of the entire science guild for nothing, still it irked him that Jor-El had with his foresight helped his son escape the zone to once more threaten his plans. It also didn’t help to learn that Jor-El’s assistant had helped him in that regard, he had tried to kill Raya a dozen times but that damn crystal she possessed constantly drove him and his followers away. If only he had still had a body whilst in the zone, he would have ensured Raya died the first time he tried as the crystal would have not worked on him had he a body. 

“Where is Raya?” he inquired with narrowed eyes as he wondered if Kal-El had freed the woman to aide him. 

“She stayed behind to help hold off Nam-Ek and Aethyr as I escaped” Clark lied not wanting Zod to even suspect he had the crystal of El which he mostly likely would have had he told him Raya had died. 

Zod was to be honest surprised Kal-El had left Raya behind especially as she had helped him escape, it was out of character for him considering what he knew of the man from Luthor’s memories of which he had access. He supposed it was possible there had been no time to help her without running the risk of Nam-Ek and Aethyr escaping, or any of the other prisoners whilst the portal was open. Kal-El had never been a good liar from what he could see from Luthor’s memories of the numerous times he had caught his former friend lying about something, still he would stay on guard on the off case he had indeed helped Raya escape. 

“You are proving as resourceful as Jor-El if not more” he finally said. “I give you one more chance Kal-El to kneel before me and pledge your loyalty to me, if you do I will spare you and your love ones from my ascension to power” he offered not really expecting Kal-El to accept but deciding it was worth offering on the off chance he would as Kal-El would be a valuable ally until he could free his other followers from the zone and to do that he would need full access to Kal-El’s fortress of solitude.

Clark was not surprised to be offered another chance to join Zod, in that sense he was a lot like Lex always promising how great they could be together. But even if he was stupid enough to accept in an insane effort to protect his love ones, he knew Zod would never keep his word. Once he had done whatever Zod needed him too to ensure his plans of world domination he and his loved ones would all be killed, if it was one thing he had learned about Zod it was he hated and would always hate the line of El. Slowly he turned his eyes back to the briefcase and prepared to hit the device floating above it with his heat ray, once he did that he knew the fight of his life would be on. 

“Never” he spat before activating his heat ray and destroying the device almost instantly. 

“NOOOO” Zod raged as he watched the black box from the ship be destroyed and thus stopping the terraforming of the planet. “You have chosen death Kal-El” he cried before flying straight at his enemy and sending them both careering through the window behind Kal-El and far into the woods near the far east of Smallville. 

They crashed through multiple trees and sent great chunks of the ground flying as they both struggled to gain control of their flight, eventually Zod twisted them around and managed to dislodge Clark’s grip on him and sent him flying into a small section of trees hard knocking them all down. Clark tumbled several feet backwards before landing hard, he groaned as he slowly picked himself up feeling like he had been hit repeatedly with a tractor or something heavier. Zod landed seconds later and shot his hand into Clark’s stomach sending flying once more through the woods, as he landed this time Clark rolled to his feet and prepared to meet Zod’s next attack. Zod slammed back into him but this time he managed to grab him twist sideways and throw him away, he then used his speed to go after him and slam into him as hard as he could before he could turn back to face him. They began to exchange fists but Clark for all his experience dealing with various meteor freaks over the years and even Nam-EK and Aethyr, could not hope to match Zod’s experience as a solider. His blows were fast and savage and far more than Clark had felt before, he stumbled backwards bleeding heavily as Zod advanced on him again. 

“I’m disappointed Kal-El” Zod told him with a grin having hoped for far more of a challenge from his enemy’s son. “Luthor’s memories of you present a far more challenging opponent, he believes you have defeated dozens of your so called meteor freaks and clearly you beat my loyal followers Nam-Ek and Aethyr” he continued. “Yet you can barely defend yourself” he added with a laugh. “Jor-El would be disappointed, even he put up a better fight in our one and only confrontation back on Krypton” he taunted his foe. “And the most ironic thing about that he was a simple scientist, but he knew how to fight unlike you even with your experience dealing will meteor freaks” he pushed on hoping to make Kal-El and lash out at him giving him an shot at finishing the fight with a single blow but Kal-El simple stood there and listened.

“You are a trained solider so it is no surprise you are better in a fight than me general” Clark shot back. “More so you don’t hold back your punches where as I’ve always had to so I don’t end up killing anyone, I am not a solider but I am a quick leaner like I had to be to defeat your two followers and Brainiac” he added before lashing out as hard as he could to send Zod flying straight through several trees before he hit the ground. 

Zod quickly stood and grinned even as he rubbed his jaw, that punch he’d actually felt and showed Kal-El truly did have some power when he was not holding back. “Weak, that is what living on this planet has done to you Kal-El” he stated. “It has dulled your senses and instincts” he added before speeding straight into Clark sending him through more trees and ploughing into the open ground beyond. 

Clark struggled to push himself back to his feet feeling winded from the blow, he knew he wouldn’t win this by strength of arms but he had to make it look believable to Zod that he had won their fight, hence he wasn’t putting everything into his blows so as to save something for when it was needed. He staggered backwards as Zod once more speeded over and smashed into him, head-butting him as a follow up move sending right back to the ground. He again slowly pushed himself to his feet, Zod just grinned as he watched how badly Kal-El was struggling to stand. He was beaten and they both knew it, now was the time to force the son of his former friend to admit his defeat. 

“You’re beaten Kal-El, you can barely stand let alone continue to fight” he said as he began to circle his defeated foe. “Admit it and accept it” he added. “The only way you can protect your loves ones now is to accept I have won and kneel before Zod” he stated. 

Clark stared at Zod for several minutes before putting on the best defeated look he could and dropping to his knees, this made Zod smile as felt great satisfaction of seeing Jor-El’s son actually kneel. He offered his hand caught up in his sense of victory, which only increased as he noted Kal-El actually reach up to accept it. It was only after grasping his hand tightly he realised his error, a searing pain shot up his hosts body before he felt a jarring pulling sensation and he realised with horror and rage his spirit was been sucked out of its host. Clark stood up and pulled his hand away revealing white light glowing in Zod’s palm, Zod forced his hand open to reveal the crystal of El and he realised his error was even greater than he had first thought. Raya must have escaped the zone as well if Kal-El had her crystal, he screamed as the pulling sensation got worse. 

“My father sends his regards general” Clark told him calmly. 

“Jor-El” Zod raged as he saw the symbol of Jor-El’s family once more. “NOOOOO” he tried to drop the crystal but could not move his hand at all and he knew he was beaten not only by Kal-El but Jor-El as well and by his own arrogance. 

Clark watched as finally the spirit of Zod was ripped free from Zod, and he quickly backed away as the spirit raged around before the crystal sucked it into itself. Lex’s now unconscious body stayed upright for several seconds before he collapsed to the ground, Clark glared down at Lex before reluctantly picking him up and speeding him to a Metropolis hospital. The further he was from Smallville when he was finally found by someone who knew him the better, plus it made it easier for him to check on Chloe he was desperate to see again after everything he had just been though.

+C+

(Daily Planet)

Chloe Sullivan frowned at her computer monitor which was blank and had been for the last several minutes, whereas before that it had been filled with weird alien script and hers had not been the only one. Every computer or phone or even a television had been filled with it, Metropolis and she guessed the rest of the world had been shaken by earthquakes and riots as if the long fabled Armageddon had finally come. She knew the cause of it was not natural at all but alien with a little help from Lex Luthor the world’s biggest scum bag, she was hoping though that now that the symbols had vanished and the world had stopped shaking and even the riots were dying down that Clark against all odds had stopped Zod and if she was very lucky although she knew Clark would never do it Lex was gone as well. 

She prayed that it was over and that Clark had survived as she did not want to face a world without him, Clark was the most important thing in this world no matter here he had originally come from. She had loved him for nearly her entire life even though she had tried more than once to move on and get over him, but no matter what she did it never seemed to work and the emotions always returned only stronger than before. Just before Clark had left to confront Lex and Fine, she had given into her feelings and kissed him for all she was worth. She had poured all the love she felt for him into it and to her surprise, Clark had actually begun to kiss her back before she had reluctantly broken away. It had to be honestly the best kiss of her life so far, but she had to realistically tell herself that it didn’t really mean anything. 

Clark had been in love for Lana Lang just as long as she had been in love with him and even with their break up a few months ago she did not doubt they would find themselves slowly finding their way back into each other’s arms again. She had seen it before when Lana had come back from Paris, she’d tried to stay away from Clark and he from her and even with the complications of Jason and Alicia getting in the way they had come back together as their feelings would not be denied. So she expected the same to happen again once Lana’s anger died down, although her relationship with Lex might prove more of an obstacle as he was not the kind of man to just let her walk out on him. 

Clark walked into the news rooms which still looked like a hurricane had hit it, the car he had stopped from crushing Chloe was still stuck halfway through one of the windows and half the office was still trashed. The struts were mostly in good condition but two to three of them looked cracked, he hoped they got fixed up soon. There were various reporters and other staff milling around as he looked for Chloe, they looked half confused and half hopeful the chaos was over. He finally noted Chloe pass by one of the stalls at the far end and he quickly made a beeline for her, his emotions after everything had happened were unwilling to settle as he moved towards her he felt his desire and love for her surge and thus he made an impulsive choice. Chloe turned as she sensed someone coming up behind her, she quickly noted with relief it was Clark and he looked more or less alright. She was caught completely off-guard as he stopped right next to her and seconds later pulled her up against him, she stared at him in surprise before he leaned down and captured her mouth in a heated and passionate kiss that almost took her breath away.

The kiss continued and Chloe lost all sense of time Clark all but seemed to be trying to devour her, she’d never been kissed in such a fashion before. She barely even heard her co-workers either clap or whoop over the scene, finally after what seemed like an eternity Clark slowly pulled away and their eyes locked together as she stared at him still very much in surprise at his bold action. She saw something she had never expected to see directed at her in his eyes, desire and love and it blew her away and made her nervous and scared all at the same time. Where had this come from as she had not seen it before at least not that she recalled or had she not been paying attention, was all her previous thoughts on the matter of who Clark loved wrong because she Knew Clark would not have done something like this without feeling something for her. 

“We need to talk Chloe privately about a lot of things” Clark finally said as he drunk in her features just so happy to be close to her again and it helped push his memories of the zone aside. 

“I guess we do” Chloe responded wondering if she was seeing more than she was or even what they had just shared was even going to be a topic of discussion. 

“Come one, grab your stuff I think with the world nearly ending they can do without you for now” Clark said. “I’ll get us something to eat before we drive back” he offered. 

Chloe supposed there was nothing really she could do until they got the computers back up and running and a lot of her co-workers had already left to be with their families, she grabbed went back to her stall grabbed her stuff and followed Clark out of the building trying not to blush as her co-workers continued to clap for a few minutes as they departed.

+C+

(Luthor Mansion)

Lana groaned as she paced up and down the rather busted up main room of the mansion feeling like a nervous wreck, the world had come apart at the seams and Lex was still missing. She knew he’d had a hand in causing the chaos that had just befallen them due to this work with Milton Fine or whoever he really was, but she did not believe he’d done it for any malevolent reasons. Whatever had taken over his body was the true evil in this whole thing, he’d called himself Zod and talked like he wasn’t even from this world and considering she’d seen two aliens only last year that was no longer something she thought extreme. Clark had known something was going on as was normal and as usual he had refused to tell her anything which only increased her anger with him, he never trusted her nor willing to truly confide in her. 

She did wonder though why Clark had not shown up to help save her like he had a dozen times before that when Zod had almost strangled her to death after her failed attempt to kill him, she hadn’t wanted to actually kill Lex but at that point it had seem the only way to save the world but he had stopped her cold and almost killed her. She had no idea why he had let her go before finishing the job but at least she was alive, now all she had to do was find Lex and pray her was back to normal. Then they could deal with Fine if he was even still alive, if he was still alive then she did not doubt that he would cause even more trouble for her and especially for Lex. The doors to the room opened and one of Lex’s security people stepped inside, she recalled his name was Jameson.

“We have found him Miss Lang, he is in Metropolis general hospital and was admitted at least half an hour ago although no one knows how he got there” Jameson reported. 

“Is he alive?” Lana demanded to know as she moved to grab her purse and keys. 

“Yes just unconscious and showing extreme signs of stress thought out his body but the doctors don’t know what’s causing it” Jameson answered. 

“I need to go see him” Lana shot back. 

“A car is already waiting to take you there Miss Lang” Jameson assured her as she passed him. “But are you sure you should be travelling with your injuries?” he inquired knowing he was walking on dangerous grounds as neither his boss nor his usual friends seem to like having things like injuries or accidents brought up when they were set on a certain action. 

Lana almost snapped back her response but just managed to stop herself when she noticed that Jameson actually sounded really concerned, that he was not just asking for the simple fact she was his boss’s lover. 

“I’ll be fine thanks Jameson, I’ve already seen the doctor and they have patched up both my leg and hand” Lana assured him. “But I need to see Lex and make sure he is okay” she added to which Jameson nodded and stepped away as she walked past him wondering how his rather erratic and sometimes downright evil boss had earned such devotion from such a nice young lady. 

+C+

(Kent Farm)

Clark felt really nervous as he and Chloe settled on his beat up coach, they had a quick meal before driving back in Chloe’s car. They had been mostly silent on the drive back as Clark tried to think over the best way of telling Chloe everything that had happened since they parted, but also to the tell her the most important thing which was he was falling in love with her if not already in love with her. He knew Chloe wouldn’t take it at face value considering their long history and his constant on-off relationship with Lana, he had to be careful how he did this or she would run and she’d never really believe him. Worse he could lose her as even a friend, this was going to be nerve racking. Chloe watched Clark intently waiting him for him to start, she knew she had to dampen her usual curiosity which had almost ended their friendship several times already. She had to just be patient and just let him start where he wanted, if this turned out how she had dreamed for years it would be well worth it. 

“I couldn’t kill Lex Chloe, I tried but it wasn’t in me so I threw the dagger Jor-El gave me at Brainiac and whilst it destroyed him and all his clones it was the wrong move” Clark began hesitantly. “It allowed Brainiac to access the fortress and release Zod into Lex’s body just before he vaporised, Zod caught me by surprise and imprisoned me in the phantom zone with one of those bracelets that Nam-Ek and Aethyr had” he paused here as he recalled that horrible sensation of been sucked into the zone. “The zone was a hellish nightmare Chloe, half the prisoners lost their bodies and had transformed into phantoms, which is what Zod was and how he could possess Lex” he told her. 

Chloe could tell that whatever Clark had seen in the zone, it had left its mark on him and she could see that in his eyes every time he glanced at her. “It’s okay Clark, your back now” she said softly as she reached over and grasped his hand in what she hoped was a comforting gesture and noted he gripped her tightly in response. 

“I thought I was going be stuck in there forever unable to stop Zod from conquering the Earth and killing you, mom and everyone else I cared for” Clark picked up again and Chloe instantly picked up on the lack of mention of Lana and possibly been lumped in with the everyone else category. “What about Lana?” she inquired unable to stop herself. 

“Lana made her choice Chloe when she constantly refused to listen to us about Lex, and even as chaos descended she ran to be with him ignoring the fact he was the cause of it” Clark answered without any hesitation taking her by surprise. “When I escaped the zone and went to confront Zod at the mansion, I found Lana unconscious and wounded but unlike last year I didn’t let it distract me or make me lose focus” he informed her. “I stayed focused on Zod, she was alive and as far as I was concerned she had to face the consequences of her choices just as we’ve had to face out own over the years” he added.

Chloe was almost blown away by the way Clark was talking about Lana, there was no sense of his previous attachment to her in his voice at all. It wasn’t just his tone but his eyes also told her how he felt, it seemed to her surprise that Clark had finally broken his long held desire for Lana and she had missed it entirely. It seemed Lana’s relationship with Lex had pushed him way too far, especially with this latest episode of her still going to Lex even as he helped almost end the world. How had she not seen the breaking of his ties to Lana happening, had she been so blind or had she done it as a way of protecting herself from thinking of there been a chance finally for her and Clark to be together. 

“How did you escape the zone?” she finally asked deciding to keep the story going for now, they’d get to the more emotional stuff later she was sure. 

“Jor-El placed his assistant in the zone as a way of escaping Krypton’s destruction or at least that is what he told Raya, but I believe he did it as a backup in case I ever ended up trapped in the zone” Clark answered. “It’s the kind of thing I think he would do to ensure my safety uncaring of the hell he was consigning Raya too” he said with a sigh. 

Chloe could tell this Raya had also left a mark on Clark and considering the way he was acting she doubted Raya’s story had a happy ending, there was too much of an emotional undertone for it not have left a mark. 

“Raya found me in the zone and saved me from several phantoms thanks to a crystal Jor-El had given her so as to defend herself, once she knew who I was she told me about the portal Jor-El had installed and that I could use it to escape” Clark started up again. “She helped me fight of Nam-Ek and Aethyr when they ambushed us, she sacrificed herself to hold them back whilst I went through the portal and save passed me the crystal before she did” he explained. “Without her I never would have escaped the zone and I never would have beat Zod and I couldn’t do a thing to help her, I left her to die Chloe” he admitted looking so incredibly guilty that Chloe quickly pulled him into a hug. 

This just confirmed her theory that Raya’s story had no happy ending but she had to nip Clark’s guilt in the butt quickly, she knew better than most how much Clark seemed to make himself always feel guilty for things outside of his control. “You didn’t leave her to die Clark because she made a choice to stay behind and cover your escape, she knew what was at stake should you not make it through that portal” she told him. “She knew she couldn’t beat Zod but you could, she chose her fate Clark not you” she pushed him to accept this fact. “Sometimes a choice has to be made for the greater good, and this time it was Raya’s to make just as sometimes you’ve made choices for the same thing without input from anyone” she said softly in his ear. “You need to accept it wasn’t your fault Clark, not this time” she insisted. “She died a hero saving you and through you the planet we are standing on, remember her for that and honour her sacrifice” she finished. 

Clark listened intently to Chloe as she spoke and let her words sooth his guilt as she was right, Raya had made the choice to stay behind and cover him as well as give him her crystal which was the only thing that had kept her alive for so long whilst in the zone. She had known doing so would likely mean her death and she had not hesitated to do it, he had to accept it and as Chloe had said honour her sacrifice. Slowly he pulled away from Chloe thankfully she was here for him to talk this through with, he felt much calmer than he had when they started this conversation. 

“You’re right Chloe, I have to accept it was her choice and honour her sacrifice not only for me but for our world” he told her to which she smiled and nodded pleased she had been able to stop the guilt he was feeling from eating him. “Once I exited the zone I landed in the outskirts of Smallville and quickly speeded to the mansion to confront Zod, which is where I saw Lana out cold and wounded but as I said I did not let it distract me like it had when I faced Nam-Ek and Aethyr” he told her wanting Chloe to hear and feel he felt no real connection to Lana anymore at least not in the love kind of way and even friendship was pushing it nowadays. “I destroyed the device he was using to try and convert this planet into a new Krypton after a brief discussion and then he charged me, we ended up in the eastern woods and we fought but I was no match for him not like I expected to be either” he went on. 

“What do you mean, you had the same powers and everything so shouldn’t you have been equal?” Chloe inquired. 

“Except for one thing Chloe, Zod was a trained solider back on Krypton and a general at that” Clark explained in response. “He was also a trained killer, he would never hesitate to pull his punches or to end the life of someone he fought whilst I have always tried to control my strength when I fight someone so I do not end up killing someone” he continued. “Only two people I have fought have died Chloe and they killed themselves, Tina when she ran onto a spiked piece of wood after I dodged her strike and professor Walden blew himself up with those powers he had when he tried to kill me and I again dodged” he reminded her. “That lack of a killer instinct put me at a disadvantage and he beat me bloody, but I never expected to beat him hand to hand I had to make him think he had beat me in a fight and when he did I tricked him into grabbing hold of the crystal Raya had given me and it sucked Zod’s phantom out of Lex’s body” he informed her. “I took Lex and dropped him off at Metropolis general and then came immediately to find you and ensure you were okay as well as have this conversation along with something more important to us both” he finished. 

Chloe was so thankful Clark had found the answer to how to beat Zod in the zone even if and it was nasty of her to think it at the cost of Raya’s life, but a small part of her couldn’t help but think it would have been better had Clark killed Lex instead of trying to kill Brainiac. She was so grateful that Clark had survived and was back beside her, she knew he was trying to lesson just how close it had been between him and Zod but she didn’t begrudge him that as she knew he was doing so she wouldn’t overly worry. 

“Which is?” Chloe asked after taking a deep breath.

+C+

(Metropolis General Hospital)

Lana walked into Lex’s room even as Jameson and Roberts took up guard positions outside his room, Lex was sitting up and alert and he instantly smiled when he saw her enter until he saw the state of her and quickly frowned. 

“What happened to you?” he demanded to know. 

“Zod happened Lex” Lana shot back. “I injured my leg in my initial escape from him and then he decided to stick a metal pipe into my hand when I tried to defend myself with a knife” she informed him leaving out anything about the dagger Martha Kent had given her as she did not want to stir Lex’s obsessive personality about such things right now. “When I came round he was gone and the mansion was a mess, looked like a huge fight had taken place ad for once I saw not one trace of Clark before I lost consciousness” she told him. “I immediately set out to find you which we did half an hour ago but how you ended up here is a mystery” she finished. 

“Someone brought me in but no can say who” Lex told her as she saw next to his bed. “One minute a bed was empty and the next I am in it looking like I had been through the ringer and my body is suffering how levels of stress” he continued. 

“Lex what happened to you?” Lana inquired after a short silence. “How did Zod take over your body, what did Fine do to make it happen?” she went on. 

“He injected some kind of virus into my body which allowed Zod to take over my body” Lex explained leaving out the fact he had believed the virus was for another reason entirely and he had helped create it. “I have no idea where it came from Lana nor what it would do to me, I have no memories of the last couple of days” he admitted twisting the truth somewhat. 

Lana put aside the fact she knew that Lex and Fine had been working on the virus together, as she believed Lex had done so as a way of protecting people but clearly fine had lied to him. She wondered if anyone else had been exposed to the virus they would have ended up possessed by something like Zod, she did briefly wonder if Lex was been truthful about having no memories of the last few days but she quickly shook that thought off. 

“We have to find Fine and make sure he never proves a threat to us again” she finally said. 

“Something tells me Lana that we’ll never see Fine again” Lex responded calmly. “Whoever beat Zod more than likely took care of Fine as well, and if he hasn’t believe me we won’t be caught off guard and he will be dealt with should he try and come near us again” he told her. 

“I hope your right Lex” Lana mumbled in response not entirely convinced as Fine frightened her and she did not want to come face to face with him again. 

“You have to wonder though if Clark didn’t turn up to help out who did beat Zod?” Lex mused aloud after another brief silence. 

“I don’t care Lex as long as someone did and I have you back” Lana told him straight and for once was been truthful about not caring who had intervened to stop Zod even if it had been Clark.

Lex smiled and grasped her hand pleased by her response but inside he truly wondered if Clark had once again intervened to save their lives, or was Lana right and he’d had nothing to do with it meaning someone new had stepped up. He’d do some investigating once they got home to the mansion, including trying to find where Fine had gone. 

“How long do you have to stay here?” Lana inquired. 

“Two days so they can give me a battery of tests and ensure the stress eases off” Lex answered. “Usually I would ignore it but considering what I went through I guess it couldn’t hurt to be checked out” he added with a smile. 

“I’ll book myself into a hotel until we can both head home” Lana assured him to which he nodded as it was just more proof that Lana really did love him.

+C+

(Kent Farm)

Clark took a deep breath knowing there was no turning back now, he had to admit the truth about his feelings now before it was too late. Before he chickened out again and Chloe went and met someone else and became lost to him as Lana had become, that was something he wanted to avoid as much as possible. 

“Chloe I have feelings for you and have done for a while I’ve just ben blind to them for quite a while what with my obsessive compulsion with Lana, but even whilst Lana and I were still together my feelings were changing and I just did not notice” he finally admitted hoping this would not prove to be a huge mistake. “I don’t recall when I first realised the truth but it was before Lana and I broke up for good, I did some real soul searching once I got over the loss of her but it took less time to recover than you may have thought” he went on. “That soul searching finally made me realise I had begun to fall in love with you or already had, I chose not to say anything as I knew if I did you’d think I was using you as a rebound or you would disbelieve the truth of my feelings due to our history but I am telling the truth” he stated. “I love you” he declared. 

Chloe had listened in a state of shock as Clark confessed nearly everything she’d ever wanted to hear from him, her heart was beating wildly and she barely knew how to respond to him. This was beyond her wildest dreams especially the confession of his feelings for her changing whilst he was still with Lana, that was something she’d never have expected to hear but it did give credence to the idea his emotional ties to Lana had indeed been broken completely this time around. But she was still feeling somewhat insecure and thus had to probe this just a little, she had to be sure where Lana was concerned.

“Clark I don’t mean to doubt you but where Lana is concerned I am somewhat skittish as I have been witness to your on-off star crossed romance since we were in school and even before that you liked here” she finally said hesitantly. “I have seen you two drift apart and then collide back together like magnets, how do I know this just won’t repeat itself when Lana finally wakes up to the evil that is in Lex?” she asked. 

Clark knew Chloe would be afraid of this very fact where Lana was concerned, how was he to tell her how his view of Lana had finally been cleared of the rose tinted view he’d had when he was younger. 

“Chloe I know I’ve given you no reason to trust me where Lana was concerned but believe me I no longer have feelings like that for her” he finally said. “Her actions since the start of last year when she saw the black ship has finally shown me that she is not the pure angel I used to think she was, she is as flawed as the rest of us but she like Lex is almost self-destructive in their flaws” he told her. “When I lost my powers I was so happy just to be able to have a normal relationship and right then it seemed so natural to have that with Lana, but even before I got shot by Gabriel and resurrected things weren’t perfect even if I gave off that sense” he explained. “I didn’t know right off the bat what was wrong, but as things progressed after I was resurrected I began to realise my feelings for Lana were no longer as strong as they had been back in school” he paused here as he looked at Chloe. 

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Chloe asked. 

“As I said at first I didn’t realise this fact and second once I did I didn’t want you think I was trying to use you as a rebound Chloe, you mean far too much to me as a friend first and foremost and I would not cheapen that for anything” Clark told her as firmly as he could. “You have been the one strong constant of my life after my parents, you’ve been there for me again and again even when I gave you plenty of reasons to turn your back on me you never did” he went on taking her hands in his and closing them together. “Lana has doubted me and questioned me constantly even back in school, I never wanted to see or admit that but now I can” he admitted with a sigh. “We’ve had our troubles Chloe but we’ve never questioned where our true loyalties lie and when we’ve asked for trust it has been given, I can’t say the same for Lana especially now so whilst it has been a slow process I finally see Lana is not the great love of my life like I thought” he told her. 

“So if she broke up with Lex tomorrow and came to you and said she still loved you, what would do Clark?” Chloe asked as her beat increased as her palms felt slightly sticky from sweat. 

“I’d tell her straight that what was between us was over permantly” Clark stated with as much conviction as he could muster. “I’d tell her to go back to Lex if she could, I swear to you Chloe my feelings for Lana are in the past and even our friendship is barely fixable right now” he swore. “Lana made her choice and I have made mine and it is no longer her Chloe it is you” he said with a small smile. “When you kissed me before I went to confront Lex and Fine I felt the passion behind it and I tried to show you how I felt with how I kissed you back, if that was our last moment together I wanted you to know how I felt about you” he admitted. “When I came back I did not want you to try and dismiss what we both felt like what happened after Spring Fling out of fear so I decided to kiss you like there was no tomorrow, and you kissed me back just as hard” he stated. 

Chloe could hear the honest to god truth in Clark’s voice as he spoke and knew without a shadow of a doubt when he said he loved her he was been truthful, she barely knew how to respond except to pull him to her and kiss him and like before the kiss was hard and passionate filled with the longing she tried to bury for years. She felt almost like she was flying as they made out for the next several minutes, finally they pulled away and she curled up against him almost as if by instinct. 

“Ok you’ve made your point Clark and I can’t lie I love you too” she admitted with a happy sigh at been able to admit that out loud to him. “I’ve always loved you but I will say this if you break my heart with Lana again I won’t forgive you ever” she promised. 

“It’ll never happen Chloe, Lana is the past you are the future I swear on my soul” Clark insisted. “Please trust me with your heart just this once and I promise you’ll never have a reason to regret it” he pleaded with her. 

Chloe closed her eyes as he spoke and heard the honest to god need in his tone and his seriousness of his promise, she had to trust him and she had to take this one chance at personal happiness  
especially if it was with Clark. 

“I do trust you Clark, always and I’ll even trust you with my heart” she told him and she was almost blinded by the smile that lit up his face at her response. 

Clark almost wanted to jump up and start dancing as Chloe gave him her answer, instead he leaned down and kissed her once more. Chloe met him halfway and for the next several minutes they made out, for both of them it was a new beginning and for Clark a more hopeful one than he’d ever felt before. 

Authors Notes: First for those of you waiting for new chapters for my four still active stories I apologise for the wait, but I recently got back into watching Smallville and this idea quickly hit me and would not go away so I decided to see where it led. At the moment I have no intention of continuing this story, so it was will remain as a one-shot unless I get some new ideas for it or there is a real desire from people to see more of it. Hope you enjoy what is here take care all.


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